Never Too Far
by Obsidios
Summary: "I already told you, I'm not going anywhere."
1. You'll Never Be

For the first time in her life, Jade West was lost for words.

She knew she should've stayed in the RV. She felt both wrong and stupid peeping through the windows of Beck's ornate house. She felt like a household pet, standing in the rain watching as Beck and his father screamed at each other.

She hated that. She hated watching Beck's face flush, how he mussed his hair by running his hand through it, and how (though he was too stubborn to admit it) he would let his emotion get the better of him.

But, these fights were a regular occurrence anymore. That wasn't what shocked Jade so much.

Grades were the subject of tonight's shouting match. Beck had gotten a "C" on a recent history assignment. His parents were not pleased.

"I don't send you to that stupid music school so you can screw around."

"That's not how it is at all!"

"Don't talk to your father that way!"

"Maybe if you actually came to a show I was in once in a while!"

"Don't you spin this on us!"

"What shouldn't I?"

"As long as you live in MY HOUSE-"

"I DON'T!"

Jade, despite herself, cringed. Her eyes darted back to the rusty-silver sheen of the RV, now slick with rain.

"I LIVE OUTSIDE, YOU TURNED MY ROOM INTO AN OFFICE!"

Beck stood, breathing heavy. His father stood, fists clenched. He started to lean backwards, one foot behind the other.

Jade turned her head before she saw anything else. She heard a hollow "thump", and then she saw Beck stagger backward, clutching his jaw where his father had struck him. Jade covered her mouth to silence a gasp.

"JONATHON!" She heard Beck's mother shriek in shock.

None of them said anything, Mr. Oliver looked at his son, then at his hand, then back to his son.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to have a talk with my friend Commandant Wilson. You'll learn respect, Beck. I don't care how I have to teach you."

"Jonathon, you're not serious..." Mrs. Oliver looked to her husband in shock.

"Jeannie, it's the only way."

Beck looked at them both, his hand still resting tentatively on his cheek. Mr. Oliver's expression relented slightly.

"Let me see you're chin, so-" Beck turned, he broken into a run. "Beck... Beck!"

But, Beck was gone.

Jade watched as his silent form burst through the door into the rain. Mrs. Oliver started after him, Mr. Oliver shook his head and pulled her close.

Jade pulled away from the window and made her way down the driveway, her boots slapping wetly against the flooded pavement. It didn't take her long to find Beck, he was leaned against the side of his RV, his eyes covered with one hand. A thin trail of dark blood oozed from a cut on his lip.

How stupid the both of them must've looked to the passing cars, Jade thought to herself, two sixteen-year-olds standing in the rain.

Beck pulled his hand away, Jade wasn't sure if the drops on his face were tears or rain. Gently, she reached out and brushed the blood from his lip. She felt cliche and idiotic, but (though she would never admit it) Beck was more important than her image at present.

She ran her finger over his left cheekbone, causing him to cringe in pain.

"Jade..." His voice cracked with emotion. "P-Please, just... just go home."

"Don't be stupid." Her voice was hard, forceful. "I'm not going anywhere."

Beck shook his head at her, rain going down his face in rivulets. Jade gently touched the purple mark flowering under his skin.

"Jade... Please..." His eyes dropped in shame.

"I just said I'm not going anywhere, and I'm not going to say it again."

Jade huffed quietly, and held out her arms. Beck looked at her quizzically.

"Just c'mere before we both freeze." Jade whispered to him, exasperated.

Beck fell into her embrace, her delicate arms wrapping around him. She was warmer, much warmer than the cold of the rain that matched his mood perfectly.

"I won't tell anyone..." She whispered to him what he always whispered to her when she needed to claim sanctuary, when family hit her.

Jade held him close as his body shook violently, as if an invisible blancmange had seized him. The more he shuddered, the tighter her grip got.

"I won't tell anyone." She repeated in his ear. His grip got strong.

Instantly, Beck's stronghold broke, and they both dropped to their knees. Like a mother holding her fallen child, Jade said nothing. She held tight as Beck's broken form shook against hers. Tears and rain ran down her back, her make-up now vaguely resembled corpse paint.

The rain ravaged on, Jade raised her eyes to the window of the master bedroom, two silhouettes gazed down on them.

She shifted position, wanting to move. Beck held her tight, his body forming a welcoming blockade from the rain.

They stayed like that as the sky raged on, both of them soaked beyond recognition. Every time Jade moved, Beck would pull her closer. He hated himself for being weak, for being dependent.

"Please..." His voice was shot, weakened by years of strength. "Don't go."

"I already told you." Jade would whisper in his ear. "I'm not going anywhere."


	2. Too Far Away

She didn't really remember how long she'd been standing in the driveway. She knew that her lip was quivering and her makeup was running, she knew that Tori and Cat were sobbing quietly behind her. She knew she was standing on the locks of Beck's hair that the wind hadn't already claimed for itself.

His hair now cropped perfectly, Beck stood in front of her in his new cadet uniform. Commandant Louis Wilson stood in behind him, tightening Beck's collar. The Commandant was a short, stocky man; Beck was easily two heads taller than him, but he gave off an intimidating vibe of strength. He spoke with a reedy Southern accent, one that immediately got on Jade's nerves.

"Say your goodbyes, son." He spat a large wad of tobacco in the grass. "I want to be on the road in ten minutes."

Cat immediately ran up, teary-eyed, and thrust a tin decorated with smiling pink lemons into Beck's arms. She looked up at him, uncharacteristically serious. It got close enough for Jade to smell chocolate.

"Don't worry about bringing back the container." Cat said, brushing a lone stand of hair from Beck's lapel. "I made the pink lemonade cookies you like so much."

Tori and Andre both handed Beck a small disk. "We made you a video."

"Thanks you guys." Beck whispered. Robbie started to bawl, Cat had to shush him.

"Beck." Wilson called again. "You got five minutes left!"

Beck looked down the road. His parents weren't coming. Typical, he thought.

Tori ushered for everyone to step back when Jade came up to him. He had to wrap her arms around her chest when Beck instinctively brushed wet eye-liner off her cheek with his thumb.

"I'll be back before you know it." He whispered to her, like a soldier would tell his daughter before he went off to war. "It's only three months."

Only? Jade wasn't sure he even fooled himself with that one.

"It won't be the same." Was all she managed to work out. She wanted to tell at Wilson, to tell him to get back in the stupid car of his, drive away, and to never come back. Ever.

"I know." Beck gave her rueful smile. "Will you...will you wait for me?"

Jade raised her eyes to meet his, onyx dug into sapphire. "I'll tell you what: I promise to wait for you, if you promise to come back."

"I promise." He rested his hands on her back.

"Me too." She ran her finger along the healing cut along his bottom lip.

He pulled her into an embrace

"Alright, Beck." Wilson looked at him, clasping him on the shoulder with his fat hand. "Lets get going." Jade detected something in his voice behind that accent. Sympathy? Could a man like that feel sympathy?

"Yes sir." Beck whispered. His voice was cold and steely, determined to mask his emotions. He was pretty sure that was the thing to do where he was going.

Jade felt all of Creation slow down as Beck pulled from her grip. She let her arms fall, she felt Vega's scrawny hand come to rest on her shoulder. She wanted to swat her off, but she couldn't bring herself to.

Wilson opened the trunk, Beck tossed his simple luggage in. He climbed into the driver seat.

Beck went over to the passenger's side, started to climb in, then let his eyes wander back to the group of friends in he'd been through so much with. But that was over, and he could never get that time back.

He sketched a wave in the air, plastered a fake smile of assurance onto his face and closed the door behind him.

Ten forlorn eyes gazed back at him. The engine revved, and the scene began to move. Slow at first, then faster...faster...faster still.

Jade pressed her face into Tori's shoulder, hating herself for it. They all stayed there, watching the tiny car as it slowly vanished.

Meanwhile, Beck watched as the place he was born in and raised in pass by him. The familiar buildings and people that were easiest to remember about this old place.

He looked at the empty screen of his phone. No message from his parents. Wilson placed a linen handkerchief on the dashboard, Beck looked over at the old man.

"I ain't lookin', boy." was all he said.

Beck leaned his head against the cold glass of the window, feeling his heart race as he fought the emotion. He clutched the white linen to his chest, remembering when Jade held him, shielding him from his own emotion. He remembered how she caught him when he fell.

But he was going too far away. He knew that when he opened that door, all that security would be gone.

No one would catch him now.


	3. No Matter What

Hollywood Arts was the same creative hub it had always been.

The only real difference, as Jade had noticed on the first day back, was that Beck's locker had been reverted back to its original decor. A simple gray locker, nothing more.

She was in the middle of cramming books into her own scissor-stabbed locker when Vega caught up to her.

"Hey."

"What?" She didn't turn around.

"Do you have any plans tonight?"

"Why?" Jade stared into her locker. She couldn't cry, not now. Not in front of Vega.

"Well, Andre, At and I were going to see a movie."

"So?" Jade forced her voice to rise an octave when she saw the two movie tickets she had purchased last week, Great Demise.

"I just... thought maybe..." Jade didn't have to see Vega to know she was wringing her hands nervously.

"What?" Jade turned on her, letting her anger break over the girl. "You think just because Beck's gone that I'm some kind of needy loser?"

"I was just-"

"Just sticking your annoying nose where it doesn't belong? Is that it?!" Jade exploded. At least twenty other students had turned to look at her.

It hurt to be without Beck, it hurt a lot.

"Nothing. I'm sorry." Tori folded her arms across her chest, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Jade softened her expression.

"Look, I didn't-"

"It's fine, forget I said anything." And with that, she scampered away.

"Veg-Tori!' Jade called after her, but she was gone.

"What are you all staring at?" She boomed at no one in particular. Many of them scrambled, some shot her looks as they fled.

Now alone, she shoved her face back into her locker. She knew she should apologize to Vega, maybe she should go with her and the others later. Beck would want her to try to keep living normally.

Beck.

Ordinarily, he'd be bringing her coffee around this time. There'd be two sugars, never artificial sweetener, just like she liked. Maybe he'd bring her a muffin or something, just because he loved her.

The same, melodious ringing she heard every day echoed through the halls. Time for Sikowitz.

She closed her locker, deciding to go without coffee today. She heaved a sigh as she walked.

"Hurry back." She whispered to the empty hallway.

* * *

He was told up front that nobody would coddle him like they did back in California. He didn't think they would.

He always assumed the kids in these camp's would be like the bullies they showed on television, but they weren't. Most of them just left him alone, the few friends he had made were normal enough, they were just quiet. Everything was fine as long as you left people alone.

The food was prepared for them, it really wasn't that terrible, either. His bunkmates were nice enough, too. One reminded him of Sikowitz, in a way.

They didn't question him when he would lay on top of the bunker at night, even that night when there was a thunderstorm, and if one if them noticed he's cried himself to sleep, then they just ignored it.

Beck had it just about as good as a kid in his situation could have, but he still stayed alone by choice all the time.

Wilson and the other instructor's allowed them to call home once every two weeks. He never took advantage of this, though. He knew if he heard Jade's voice, or any of the others, he would have some kind of breakdown.

Presently, he was sitting in an abandoned classroom a bunch of the students had converted into an unofficial lounge. A debilitated plush chair by the yellowing windows was his perch. As usual, nobody messed with him. He watched Sadie, a vulture the students named that lived in the grounds, devour a dead squirrel.

He hated to admit it, but it almost reminded him of Jade.

Jade.

Even thinking of her named made his heart beat harder. It made him feel exactly like what he was: alone. He sighed and leaned back, taking out the necklace Jade gave him for his seventeenth birthday. A "B" and a "J" locked together.

He didn't pay attention when two senior's came in, cackling erratically. He could tell by the pungent odor that followed them in that they had been drinking, which wasn't too rare with some of the older students. He'd done it a fair few times in his time here.

He didn't pay them any mind until one of them wrenched the necklace out of his hand.

"Woah, Oliver." The first one, a heavyset kid he recognized as Rupert, tossed it to his crony. "What's that, your leash?"

"Dude, gimme that."

"Or what? Mr. Hollywood's gonna beat me down?"

"Give me the necklace!"

"Why keep this thing, anyway? Your girl's probably off with some actor whose go-."

One punch to the nose was all it took, he went down.

His lackey dropped the necklace and ran, beck bent down to pick it up, when someone stepped on his hand. He looked up, it was Wilson.

"Alright, boy." No one in the room could make anything out past his chewing tobacco. "Follow me."

* * *

Jade stared out the window at the rain, watching it fall in the same annoying pattern. There was nothing about tonight that didn't remind her of Beck.

She sat at Vega's house, looking past the newest episode of Trina's stupid show at the falling rain.

Cat's phone rang, she went out of the room to answer it. Jade stood up, she couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Okay." She spat at the group. "We're doing something else."

"Such as?" Andre gestured for her to explain.

"We could play cards?" Tori suggested.

"I don't care. We just can't do this anymore."

Cat wandered back in. "Jade, Beck's gone."

Jade turned on Cat. "I know he's gone, Cat! Just shut up about it!"

Jade's rage turned to shock when she got a good look at her red-headed friend. She was white and trembling, her voice shook when she spoke.

"No, that was the school. They can't find him..."

Jade felt a tremor of fear seize her immediately, Robbie and Andre guided her to the couch. She had never felt so scared, it was so unlike her.

"Jade." Cat whispered, tears beginning to roll down her face. "Beck's really gone."


	4. No Matter How

Exactly five hours had passed since they got the news, and Jade was still pacing. Her phone rang again.

"Jade?" It was Mr. Oliver. "What doing calling this late?"

"What am I-" Jade was speechless with anger. "Beck is missing and you ask me why I'm calling?"

She didn't give him a chance to respond. "People like you don't deserve children, you know that?" Her deadpan voice had risen at least three octaves in rage.

"Look, the police are searching for him right now. It's not doing anyone any good to work themselves up like this." Mr. Oliver's voice was brash and tired, as though he'd been roused from a very good dream.

Jade was sure her knuckles had turned white from clenching her fist around her phone.

"Mr. Oliver, I just want you to know how sorry I am for letting that dog almost maul you to death."

"I beg you're pardon?"

"Yeah, next time, I'll make sure to get a dog that can finish the job."

And with that, she hung up.

* * *

He didn't remember where he was or how he got there. He vaguely recollected punching out an older student, but that was it. The necklace he had retrieved had been dropped long ago.

He had been running, he knew, because he felt winded. For how long, again, he didn't remember. He was somewhere in a large city, not too upscale, not too urban. He checked the sign to his left. It said he was in San Diego.

Beck's stomach did a somersault, the academy was in northern LA. Beck had been running for four hours.

He took a deep breath, and tried to steady himself. He knew where he was, he knew how to get home. He'd get a hotel tonight, then catch a bus home in the morning. He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. He still had his father's credit card.

His father. Would his parents be happy to see him? Did they even know he was gone?

Did they even care?

Beck shook his head, now was not the time to be thinking that. He checked his phone. 10:30. Maybe he should go ahead and book a room, maybe treat himself to one of the more luxurious rooms this city had to offer.

He hoisted his duffel-bag back onto his shoulder and went on his way, totally unaware that a pair of bluebell eyes was watching him from a nearby alleyway.

* * *

They made up their mind to go and find Beck themselves. It was obvious they were the only ones willing to do it right.

Robbie, who'd hitched Beck's RV up with his car, had suggested that they look around the area near the academy. Maybe they could work some information out of the students.

It would take at least an hour to get there. The best thing they could do is get some sleep now. Jade knew she needed too, but she refused. She starred out the window as the shadowed landscape shifted and fell with the road.

"You promised me you'd come back..." Jade whispered to no one.

* * *

**I know that its short and not worth the wait, but if you could review anyway that'd be so awesome!**


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